Electric bikes are in vogue right now. Electric vehicle (EV) maker smart just announced that it had begun shipping out the first versions of its new e-bike to customers who pre-ordered.

Now another German automaker is touting its own rival to smart’s e-bike.

image via Audi

Audi has just unveiled its Wörthersee e-bike. Like smart’s bike, the Audi model is a high performance product but the technology is even more impressive.

The sleek futuristic design is constructed from ultra-light carbon-fiber and the frame weighs only 3.5 lb. The same carbon fiber-reinforced polymer is used for the 26″ wheels.

Riders can alternate between pedaling or switch to electric. This bike is at the real high end of performance, however. Since the electric motor can reach speeds unassisted of up to 30 mph. If the rider pedals at the same time the speed can rise up to 50 mph.

The rider controls the power from the electric motor via a twist grip on the handlebars and the speed can be configured using the bike’s onboard computer.

The on-board computer is located in the frame top tube and operated using a touchscreen. The computer performs a range of functions: it provides riding mode selection, records trick sequences and allows for adjustment of various e-bike functions such as electric pedaling assistance and lighting. The display shows road speed, distance covered, state of battery charge, energy consumption and the road gradient.

The bike’s electric motor is a permanent magnet synchronous machine and is located at the lowest point on the frame. The motor, which has a peak output of 2.3 kilowatts, drives the bottom bracket shaft directly. The complete bicycle weighs only 46 lb. According to Audi the bike’s power-weight ratio of 19.8 lb per kilowatt, is a record for electric bikes.

Paul Willis has been journalist for a decade. Starting out in Northern England, from where he hails, he worked as a reporter on regional papers before graduating to the cut-throat world of London print media. On the way he spent a year as a correspondent in East Africa, writing about election fraud, drought and an Ethiopian version of American Idol. Since moving to America three years ago he has worked as a freelancer, working for CNN.com and major newspapers in Britain, Australia and North America. He writes on subjects as diverse as travel, media ethics and human evolution. He lives in New York where, in spite of the car fumes and the sometimes eccentric driving habits of the yellow cabs, he rides his bike everywhere.

Thanks for the specs… This thing looks gorgeous, but I own a 45-50 lb downhill bike, and it’s truly miserable to ride uphill, as this would be after the battery runs out. You could take this in the woods and use the battery to get up a hill, and ride back down to your car, but it’s probably illegal on most forest trails here in the US. I kind of drool about using the electric assist to launch off jumps, but can a CFRP frame take that kind of beating? Better to ditch the knobby tires, put a real seat on it, and use it to commute.